Skateboards are wheeled platforms typically less than 12 inches wide and less than 33 inches long, however so-called long-board types are usually longer than 33 inches. Sets of wheels and wheel mounting structures (called “trucks”) are placed on one surface of a rigid platform, called a deck, and oriented such that the deck will roll on the attached wheels in a direction essentially parallel to its side edges. Placed so that the wheels contact the ground, a user stands on the opposite surface of the deck and using a scooter-like one-footed propelling motion, or gravitational force on sloping ground, the user is transported along with skateboard in an intended path.
Whereas many skateboard riders use the skateboard for recreational purposes, an increasing number of skateboard owners use them for transportation. For example, someone located some blocks from a bus stop, may use a skateboard to travel to the bus stop, then board the bus with the skateboard in hand.
A skateboard with a solid, rigid deck is a device that can be nearly three feet long and weigh ten pounds or more. Clearly, riding a public transportation vehicle with a skateboard in hand can create a nuisance situation for other riders. Placing the skateboard on the floor or under a seat is not safe because the skateboard can be propelled by inertia when a vehicle starts or stops.
A skateboard that could be folded and carried in a backpack could eliminate the need to hand hold the board or place it somewhere where it can roll unintentionally. However, a folding process that involves several steps and places hands or fingers in places where they may be injured makes foldable skateboards less appealing.
A folding skateboard that could be folded without requiring the use of hands or fingers could be both safer to use, faster to fold, and more convenient.